Snow Goose in Wenatchee, Washington

The story behind this sighting: Students from Mission View Elementary School's 3rd grade and I were doing a nature walk along the path next to the Columbia River. As we were observing the area one of the boys, I think, noticed that there was a white bird mixed into a flock of (nine) Canada Geese across the park on the other side of a pond in the rugby field. I went back with my camera and took some photos. I also contacted two local bird photographers and one was able to come down to get better photos. He is the president of our Audubon Society and he identified it later.

The pond was because the Columbia River was high and it raised the water table inside Confluence State Park, so that the Rugby field and several other areas were flooded with seepage from ground water. The flock of geese was joined for a few moments by a Mallard Hen and then three starlings which fed at the edge of the vernal pool. The killdeer seemed to have just flown in to feed on the other side of the pond and did not appear to pay any attention to the geese.

The Wenatchee Museum and Cultural Center and the Wenatchee Row and Paddle Club work together to bring students out the Confluence State Park to paddle in voyageur canoes. This began on the 200th anniversary of David Thompson's trip down the Columbia River, which was celebrated along the river in 2011. Since then thousands of students have come to the park to explore nature and experience a short paddle to the mouth of the Wenatchee River. Once in a while we get to observe something special, like this Snow Goose.

Posted on June 6, 2018 02:51 PM by wenatcheeb